All The Lights In The Sky Are Stars
by BladeTA
Summary: In a parallel world that is opposite to our own, a legend is born. The legend of the two heroes, the burning stars that sparked a revolution. This is their story. Rated T for language and innuendos. Contains Simon x Yoko. Updates whenever I can stop procrastinating and actually work on a chapter. Please do note, Chapter 5 IS being written, so don't lose hope!
1. Chapter One: A Question and A Mission

**I suggest you watch the whole anime before reading. Chapter 1 contains spoilers. You have been warned.**

I do not own Gurren Lagann or any affiliated characters. Starz Media and Gainax do.

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><p><strong>The one thing<strong> Yoko never understood was only one thing: why. Why did the people she love seem to die? Kamina died, but being the badass leader of Team Dai-Gurren, he went out in fashion; avenging himself and being a total moron one last time. But, of course, he couldn't pay the kiss back like he said he would. Then there was Kittan (though, to be honest, Yoko never had any feelings for him, no matter what he thought), who sacrificed himself to be able to free the Super Galaxy Dai-Gurren.

But, the one person she never thought she would care for, the one man she _should_ have cared for, was Simon. He, of all of the people she loved, had saved her ass countless times, and she was grateful for it, of course, but Simon only saved her ass because he loved her, not because he _needed_ to. In his mind, besides the fact he loved her, there were no actual reasons to try to save her; she was fine on her own, and she knew that. That's why whenever Simon rescued her she would secretly seethe with frustration inside (or, at least, she _used_ to).

That one question of hers still lingered: why? Why must she be so foolish and fall in love with almost every man that was reckless and stupid? Maybe Dayakka was right, maybe she was into Kamina's type, the reckless, stupid men who rushed into danger without a single thought. Or maybe she was _a part of _their type, and she just didn't know it.

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><p><em>Seven years ago, in Ritona Village...<em>

Yoko kicked back in her chair, putting her feet up onto the desk. She reached back and pulled out the hair tie that held back her inhumanly red hair. She had been in Littner village for... what was it? Around 14 years or so, but then again, the way she measured years probably wasn't that accurate. Stretching, Yoko put her feet off of the table and pulled out her music player from her jean pocket, and listened to the only song on the music player. Her bass guitar, which was a present from Dayakka when she turned 13, was leaning against one of the walls, and she walked over to pick it up, her footsteps echoing off of the wooden floors, plugged it into the amp, and started to play the bass part. She had been listening to the song for years, since when she received the music player from Ron as a birthday present about four or five years ago.

Dayakka knocked on the door, and Yoko unplugged her bass from the amp and took one headphone out. "Yoko, we found another Gunman." With that, Yoko smiled, telling Dayakka to 'let her get ready' (in other words, leave so I can change). She dressed in her more casual clothes; the fire bikini top, the almost-nothing skirt, and her favorite scarf, her trademark outfit. She grabbed her rifle, dubbed the Yoko Pulse Rifle X by Ron (she insisted he change it from Littner Pulse Rifle to Yoko Pulse Rifle, since the whole of Littner wouldn't use the rifle, and they both agreed upon the X), and headed out the door. She sprinted to catch up with Dayakka, her rifle smacking against her back and her footsteps echoing in the stone hallway. "So," she said, slowing down to catch her breath, "where's this Gunman at?" "I'll leave the briefing to Ron. He'll be able to explain better than I could." said Dayakka, as the pair walked into the hangar of Littner Village.

Ron was busy tinkering with some things when Dayakka walked up and tapped him on the shoulder. Ron, bursting with his usual cheery energy, spun around with the strangest of looks on his face, which faded away after a couple of seconds, melting into his usual smile. "Oh, hello Dayakka, Yoko." They both just simply nodded, ready to hear what he had to say. "Okay, darlings, here's the plan. This new Gunman we spotted was seen forty clicks* from where we are now. Yoko, you'll lead the team, providing cover fire if needed." Yoko nodded, tugging on the strap that was attached to her rifle. "Ron wants me to stay behind to let you handle this one on your own. You should be ready for your first GDO." Yoko nodded, attempting to hide any and all emotions she might show. She wanted to prove her ability to Littner, even though she's saved the village- Actually, she didn't really know; she wasn't the sort to brag (in her mind, at least). If anyone else kept a count, it would be about 7 times, which, in her lifetime, granted, might not be a lot, but it was still an accomplishment nonetheless.

"The last transmission of the scout we sent was about... 40 minutes or so. So that means that he's probably dead, and this Gunman will be tough." said Ron, having a sort of reassuring look on his face as he glanced at Yoko. "We'll be tougher," said Yoko, "and we'll take this thing down." She grabbed her sunglasses, gathered her squad, and set out. If only she knew what she would get herself into by doing this GDO.

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><p>Author's Notes:<p>

GDO stands for Gunman Destruction Operation.

Remember to C+C, it helps me improve my writing! (For instance, point out where I need more detail.)

Also, the only song is Muse's Feeling Good Cover.


	2. Chapter Two

**CHAPTER TWO: EXPLOSIONS, PIT VILLAGES, AND PIG MOLES**

**Yoko stood in the dust** caused by the explosives that were just detonated. "I think we used too much explosives," said one of Yoko's teammates. "Wait a second... that's..." Yoko dashed off towards the hole that was recently made, jumping into it. "Yoko!" yelled another one of the teammates, as she soared down the hole.

**SIMON'S POV**

"Just keep digging, Simon. Dig and you can be fed." I used to tell myself that constantly. I dug because I had to, but also because I _wanted_ to. It sounds confusing, I know. But I dug for the treasures I could discover while digging tunnels, and for the steaks the village chief gave me when I dug. My story is one that is only for those who have an open mind and the will to listen to an old man's tale.. My name's Simon, Simon the Digger. I grew up in Giha Village. Both my parents were killed when a tunnel collapsed when I was only seven years old. The only person I had that was a father figure was Kamina. He was a reckless one, always charging into things without a care or a single thought. I became quite like him when I grew older. Not the age I am now, of course, but a long time ago, when I was actually someone. But I met someone, in that village. A girl, _the_ girl who would change my life. So then, where shall I begin...?

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><p><strong>27 YEARS AGO<strong>

"Just keep digging. Dig, and you can be fed." Dig, dig, dig. I turn my drill to move the dirt in front of me out of my way. My goal is set in my mind: dig a tunnel to help with expanding the village, so in turn I receive pig-mole steak. The steak isn't my only motivation. I also dig for treasure! I mean, sure, you may not always get some treasure, but I keep digging, doing what the village chief tells me to do, until my drill hits something. Excited, I dig out all of the dirt surrounding where I am to get a better view of what I dug up. It's a little drill with a hole on the back. "What's this?" I ask, picking it up in my hand. I study it from every angle until I dig back up my tunnel, breaking through the wall by the village chief.

"WHY CAN'T YOU DIG A TUNNEL LIKE HIM?" he bellows as I walk past him, "DO YOU WANT THOSE STEAKS?" I leave where the village chief is and walk towards the Plaza, the main area of Giha, putting the little drill onto a piece of string. I'm proud of what I found, but the village girls see me looking at my treasure and laugh at me. "Oh look, it's Simon the Digger." one says. "What's the fun in getting covered in dirt every day?" says another. "Be careful," says the third, as the group walks off, "he might drill a hole in you!" I wasn't certain why, but for whatever reason, the last girl's statement depressed me, and I hang my head in sadness. Not looking where I'm going, I bump into Kamina.

"Walk with your head held high, Simon."

"Kamina!" I say, looking up.

"I keep telling you, don't call me Kamina, call me Aniki!"

He lifts up his sunglasses to look at me better.

"I don't have any siblings."

"Blood doesn't matter! We're brothers of the soul!"

Kamina pats me on the back, and then looks at what I have around my neck, yanking it off.

"Don't listen to what those girls have to say," he says, studying the drill. "This looks good on you."

He puts it back around my neck and smirks.

"You ready, Simon?"

"Ready? Ready for what?"

"We're going to use that drill of yours to break open the ceiling!"

He points up and smirks.

"What? That's crazy!"

"No it's not! It's like I keep telling you; there's a world out there, out on the surface, and your drill will get us there. After all.." he pauses to clear his throat, then continues, "YOUR DRILL IS THE DRILL THAT WILL PIERCE THE HEAVENS!"

Of course, I'm not really to keen on his plan, but Kamina's one hell of a motivational speaker. Some of the time he spouts crap about being the badass leader of the Gurren Gang, but the rest is mostly sensible things. _(Keyword here is mostly, might I add.) _Kamina led me to where the rest of the Gurren Gang are camping out. The chief calls it "Scumbag Lane", and it sort of works considering some of the members of the Gurren Gang. Kamina and I walk up to Takkan and Wesker, the two other members of the Gurren Gang. "Did you finish it?" Kamina asks, turning to Takkan.

"Yup. The lock's cut, all we need is something to startle the pig-moles."

"Good, good. Hey, Simon."

I walk over to him.

"Let me borrow your drill for a sec."

I know what he has in mind, but I hand the drill to him anyways.

"OKAY, MEN! ONWARDS AND UPWARDS! PIG-MOLE PIERCING DRILL STAB!"

Kamina takes my drill and stabs the pig-mole by its right hind leg, making it squeal. It rams into the pig-mole in front of it, and the madness begins.  
>"YAHOO!" yells Kamina, hopping on top of a pig-mole. He grabs me, placing me behind him.<br>At first I'm scared, but eventually I begin to enjoy it after seeing Kamina spinning his hand around and pumping it in the air, and I start smiling and laughing as the pig-moles charge on.  
>"C'mon piggies! Giddyup!" I yell, enjoying the moment.<br>The pig moles run into the Plaza, going upwards with rapid speed. Both sides of the stampede collide with each other, sending the pig-moles into a double helix of living food.  
>"WE'RE ALMOST THERE! The surface!" says Kamina, gripping onto the hair of his steed.<br>"KAMINA! I SHOULD'VE KNOWN IT WOULD BE YOU!"  
>"Ah, crap!" Kamina sighs as the pig-moles spiral higher up, revealing the village chief standing there with his sword.<p>

"GET OUT OF THE WAY, OLD MAN!"

The chief hits a pig-mole with his sword, efficiently ending the pig-spiral.

**KAMINA'S POV**

The chief stands there, barking at us, thinking he's such a high horse. He lets Simon go, and the other two members of the Gurren Gang wuss out. "Just give up, Bro! It's useless!" they tell me, after they begged to the chief. "Don't call me Bro. None of you but Simon have the right to call me Bro." I'm not a coward like them, after all... WE'RE MEN, DAMMIT! The bastard doesn't understand why I'm so devoted to this. My father was the only person in my life before I met Simon, and now I'm looking after him because he has nobody else to do it for him. I want to go to the surface, to see my father, to _know_ he's alive. But besides the fact I want to see my father again, I want Simon to have a better life than what he has now, digging those useless tunnels. But you may be asking, how does a total badass such as myself get into so much trouble for something so caring? Well, I'll tell you how:

The chief is a moron.

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><p><strong>Sorry for all of the POV's, I wanted to be able to tell different perspectives. But on the bright side, it's a longer chapter! Also, yes, I understand that it's Team Gurren, but it doesn't feel like a team to me yet, but it'll be changed in the next chapter, I promise! As always, C+C, it helps me improve my writing!<strong>


	3. Chapter Three: Gunman, Be More Moe

**SIMON'S POV**

**Kamina was imprisoned** without dinner. So since he was in jail, I had nothing better to do than to go back to dig. Digging, digging, digging. Why did I really dig? Was it a fear of not being normal? Or was it just because I didn't have the willpower to simply say 'No'? Regardless of what it was, I kept digging. _Turn the drill. Turn the drill, Simon. It's all you're good for. _One of the diggers had told me that some years back, and I shrugged it off then, but now... now it seems like the truth. All I'm good for is digging tunnels, and they all know that, everyone but Kamina. I don't know _what_ he sees in me, but I trust his instinct. I dug the tunnel more, until I heard a _klank_. "Treasure!" I yelled, digging the dirt away. When the dirt was removed, a face was revealed. The face's eyes were glowing a faint neon green, making a _whum, whum_ noise. I looked down to see that my drill was also glowing the same green color, and made the same _whum_ noise. "What the..." I dug the dirt away from the top of the face, and it revealed a cockpit, which, if I remember correctly, is where someone sits to pilot something.

I hopped into the cockpit of it. It was relatively small, but still a good enough size to where I could fit inside of it. "So then, how does this work?" I asked myself, looking around the cockpit. My eyes landed on a hole in the center of the face-thing, and I noticed that there were lines in the hole that were glowing green. I lifted my drill off of my neck and placed it into the hole.

I sat there for a bit, waiting for something to happen, but it didn't. "Maybe if I turn it...?" I turned the drill, and the console turned blue, signifying it was activated. "I HAVE to show this to Kamina. But the question is, how do I take it with me?" I hopped out of the cockpit and started drilling, opening a way for the face-thing to go. The hole dug up towards the jail, a couple of inches away from where Kamina was.

"Simon! Perfect timing on that escape tunnel!"

"Escape tunnel?"

"Isn't that what you're here to do?"

"Uh, not really, no."

Kamina fell to the ground.

"I have to show you something though; just give me a sec."

"Whatever." Kamina moaned, obviously saddened by the fact I wasn't planning on breaking him out of jail.

I hopped back into the cockpit. "Alright, let's get this moving." There were some handles in the machine, one to the left, and one to the right, so I assumed that was how you piloted it. I pulled back on one of the handles, and the face-thing took a step forward. "Okay, Simon, left, right, left, right..." I repeated that until I got a hang of making it move, and followed the tunnel, coming back up to the jail. The face-thing hopped out of the hole, showing itself to Kamina.

"Oh wow, Simon! Nice find!"

Kamina pulled off the ropes tying him back and ran over to the face-thing.

"Is this a mecha of some sort?"

Kamina patted the face-thing.

"Mecha?"

"You know, something like one of those Gundam thingies. My dad told me about them."

"I have NO idea what you're talking about."

"Whatever, that's not important I guess. Anyways, where'd you find this?"  
>"I found it when I was drilling tunnels."<p>

"Hmm. So it must have been here a long time. I wonder if it comes from the surface?" Kamina put his hand up to his face, deep in thought.

"C'mon, Simon, let's go take a walk."

"Alright."

We walked out of the jail, since there was nobody guarding it. We didn't really have time to be guarding anyone, since nobody did anything wrong... well, nobody except Kamina. We were about halfway to the hole where Kamina and I live before a bright light flashed on us.

"KAMINA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT OF-"

The voice obviously belonged to the Chief, which meant we were in trouble.

"- SIMON! WHAT IS THAT THING?"

"It's a Gundam!" said Kamina, smirking. and I sighed.

"It's not a Gundam, Kamina. It's some sort of face-thing."

"It's a Gundam, I'm telling you!"

"Whatever, believe what you want."

"HA! So it IS a Gundam!"

The chief decided to interrupt our.. "interesting" conversation.

"I don't care WHAT the the hell that thing is, but it's getting trashed! As for YOU, Kamina, you're going to be-"

Whatever the chief had planned was interrupted by the sound of an explosion.

"What the hell was that?" asked Kamina, looking up towards the ceiling.

A rock started to fall towards Kamina, and I grabbed him and threw him in the face-thing, and hit a button labelled 'Canopy'. The face-thing was covered instantly, and the rock fell on top of the canopy and bounced off.

"Nice going, Simon! Though, it's a little cramped in here..."

I was squished between Kamina and the controls.

"You're telling me." I muttered.

Kamina and I waited until the sounds of rockfall ended, and I hit the 'Canopy' button once more.

"Stay here, Simon. I'll make sure it's safe for you to come out."

I nodded; I wasn't going to say no to Kamina. As it is, he was trying to protect me from being injured. I waited for a couple of seconds until Kamina said it was okay to come out, then hopped out of the face-mecha-thing.

"So what do you think caused that?" I asked, looking at Kamina. But he obviously didn't hear me, because he was staring at the hole from the rockfall.

"Heh. So I was right all along." Kamina smirked, standing on a rock.

"YOU SEE THAT? THAT'S THE SURFACE UP THERE. IT'S LIKE I TOLD YOU!" Kamina was so busy babbling about the surface and pointing at the hole that he didn't notice a rock was falling down. It smacked him square in the top of the head, knocking him off of his rock. He went face-first into the floor, knocking him unconscious as his glasses slid a bit in front of him. Everyone was either sighing or laughing at him. I looked around the room, making sure nobody else besides Kamina was hit by a rock, and for a brief second, I saw someone with red hair. It isn't really a big deal to see red hair, granted, but it was uncommon in Giha to see someone that didn't have black or brown hair. Curious, I ran towards where I last saw the red-haired mystery person.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" I called out, being as cautious as possible.

"Keep quiet if you want to live." said a voice.

"Uh, why is that?"

"Because, right now your village is in danger of being attacked."

"A-attacked? By what?"

"A Gunman."

"What's a Gunman?"

"It's like... a mecha, sort of like those old Gundam cartoons."

"Seriously, what the hell is Gundam?"

"That doesn't matter. So, you can either come with me, or stay back here and defend your village."

"Why would I run away from my home? And who are you anyways?"

I heard a small laugh, as the mystery person stepped out of the shadows. Instantly my jaw dropped as a girl stepped out in _the_ skimpiest outfit I've seen. She was wearing a pink and white scarf, short shorts, and a flame bikini. Her red hair was arched upwards as it was held back by a hair tie. On her back was some sort of weapon I've never seen before.

"Names aren't that important, are they?" she said, smiling.

"A-bu-weh... N-no, I guess not." I stuttered, still in awe of her beauty.

She blushed at my stuttering a bit, with a smile on her face, but that faded away quickly as she became serious."What's important now is that we defeat this thing before it does any harm to your village!"

"Wait, hold on a second; I have one quick question."

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Were you the ones who blew up the ceiling earlier?"

"Blew up the ceil- Oh crap, I'm too late!"

"Too late?"

"They're here."

"WHAT? What can we do?"

"We can fight." she said, pulling on her weapon's strap.

"Here's the plan, kid. I'll take them on from a distance with my rifle," she continued, "and you charge at them."

"With what? I have no weapon!"

"I don't know, just think of something!" she said, dashing off to get behind rocks. As soon as she reached cover, the loudest noise I have ever heard rang throughout the the stony walls known as Giha Village. I peeked out from where I was standing, and what I saw was the most intimidating thing possible. A large white creature stood in the area below the hole. His whole face was comprised of mainly teeth. It had stubby legs, and bull's horns on its head. It was in a crater caused by its landing, and it started getting up and out of the crater

"Is this what you were talking about?" I yelled to the girl.

"Yeah, this is a Gunmen!"

"Alright!" I looked at where the Gunman was standing, making sure my recently found... Gunman wasn't near it. Thankfully, it was by the pile of rocks that the now-recovering Kamina was sitting by. I ran over as fast as I could as the girl fired blue beams out of her rifle at the larger Gunman, which was starting to attack the villagers.

"Silly human! Do you _really_ think that will work on me?" it taunted, as it dashed towards the girl.

"Dammit, I need to hurry!" I said, jumping in the air and flying about two feet as I landed in the cockpit. I hit the Canopy button and moved quickly towards the girl. The larger Gunman was nearing her as it started drawing out a massive sword from a sheath. All of a sudden, I heard a voice ring out:

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! Leave them alone!"

It turned to face where the voice was coming from, and I knew nobody would confront the Gunman but Kamina.

The large gunman turned to face Kamina, who was climbing on top of the pile of rocks near him, wielding the chief's sword.

"You've got guts, plowing into my village like this with your big, ugly mug, you know that? But that ends here! I won't stand for any more of your shenanigans!"

"Huh? Who the hell are you?" said the Gunman.

"Hey, it talked!" I was amazed that something like that was able to speak.

"I'm gonna tell you something important now, so you better dig the wax out of those big ears of yours and listen close! The reputation of the Gurren Gang echoes far and wide! When they talk about it's badass leader, the man of indomitable spirit and masculinity, they're talking about me, the mighty Kamina!"

I heard various things come from the villagers after that, mostly along the lines of "What an idiot!" or "What a dunce!" or "What a total dumbass."

"I, Kamina, will not tolerate any lawlessness in this village!"

I was amazed at Kamina, mainly because of the fact that he stood up to the large Gunman wielding only a sword.

"Hahaha! What can a puny human like YOU do to stop ME?" laughed the Gunman.

Suddenly, I heard the rifle shots, and looked to where the girl was: She was gone. The girl was attacking again, this time from behind the Gunman.

"Huh?" Kamina didn't know what the sound was, and started looking around for where the source of the noise was coming from. He eventually spotted the girl, running around the Gunman and shooting. Her rifle shots damaged the Gunman from behind, making him fall back into the crater.

"You better get back, Kamina! Kid, help me out here, would ya?"

Kamina whistled, then looked at me as the canopy from the smaller Gunman retracted.

"Something else from the surface, and you didn't wait to show me it? You're growing up fast, Simon!" he yelled from the other side of the village.

"It's not like that! You were unconscious!" I yelled back, flailing my arms.

Even from the other side of the village I could see his smirk.

"Simon, Kamina! Come over here and help me!" said the girl, attempting to place something by where the Gunman was.

Kamina and I both glanced at each other and shrugged as Kamina ran over to her and I walked over to her in my Gunman. We both reached her as she finished placing a beige rectangle with a flashing red light.

"Okay you two, I need some help planting these explosive charges," she said, turning towards us, "Simon, place some on the pillars- Is that a Gunman?"

"This thing?" I asked. "I guess so, I don't know what to call it, really."

"I say we name it Lagann!" interjected Kamina.

"Lagann? What does that mean?"

"I'm not sure, really. I just came up with it!"

"But how do you make up a word like- You know what, never mind. Kamina, instead of babbling, go help Simon, alright?"

"Whatever you say, babe. And might I say, you have a mighty fine body!"

"Just.. go help Simon out already, would you?" She was obviously thrown off by his comment.

"Alright Simon, let's go." said Kamina.

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><p><strong>And there's Chapter 3! Sorry it took so long to upload it, I had personal things come up. And I apologize for the Gundam references for those who don't like animes referencing other animes, but it had to be done. As always, C+C, it helps improve my writing!<strong>

**Late edit: Named Lagann Gurren by mistake, my bad.**


	4. Chapter Four

**YOKO'S POV**

"Do you guys have the charges set up already?" asked Yoko, placing down the last charge she had. She was slightly worried Kamina might mess up, but had her faith in Simon to do the job correctly, seeing as how he was a quick learner.

"Not yet, I'm almost finished though." Kamina responded, going back to the bag to pick up the last charge.

"Hurry up then, slowpoke! We need to finish setting these up so I can get back to my village! This GDO has taken too long, and they may be worried about me!"

"GDO... Wait, you're a village chick?"

"Yeah, is that such a bad thing?"

"Dammit, I thought you were what surface chicks looked like!"

"You conceited little-"

"Hey, guys, not to interrupt your "conversation" or anything, but I think it's starting to move again!" Simon interjected, starting to run towards Lagann.

"Shit! I thought we finished it off!" Kamina was pissed, thinking that the combination of Yoko and Simon's efforts had finished off the Gunman.

Kamina was about to draw his sword when the large Gunman had lifted itself out of the crater it made.  
>"HAHAHAHAHA! You thought I was finished off that easy?" teased the Gunman.<br>"No, I didn't! But I'm sure I'll finish you off, you son of a bitch!" yelled Simon, charging at the Gunman. He lifted into the air, using Lagann's thrusters to take off.  
>"You won't beat me like that!" it said, smacking Lagann with its sword. Lagann and Simon went flying in different directions, and Yoko started to sprint after where Simon was flying. She pulled her rifle off of her shoulder and started firing at the Gunman as she neared Simon. He was unconscious as she caught him, breaking his fall.<br>"Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT! Could this be get any worse?" Yoko looked around frantically, thinking of what to do. Her eyes landed on Lagann, and she instantly regretted what she was about to do.  
>"Kamina! Move Simon to somewhere safe!"<br>"Got it!" he replied, dashing towards where Yoko placed Simon. Yoko ran towards Lagann, occasionally firing at the Gunman, who was slowly progressing towards her.  
>"Come here, you! I'm going to squash you like the pest you are!" it shouted. It started picking up its pace, breaking into a slow sprint. Yoko reached Lagann, which was slumped against a column that didn't have a charge planted on it. The final charge Kamina didn't place was sitting next to the column, and Yoko's plan progressed further into the realm of insanity. She hopped into Lagann, and in a moment of pure panic, turned the drill that was in the center console of Lagann to the left. It powered up, and as a quick precaution, Yoko slapped the canopy button.<br>"Okay, let's hope my plan works..." she muttered, saying a quick prayer. The larger Gunman was near her now, and she used what little knowledge she had of piloting Lagann to reach out and grab the charge.  
>"Come at me, you freak!" she yelled, suddenly learning how to make Lagann move. She didn't really know how, though she believed it was just the adrenaline kicking in. Yoko ran towards the larger Gunman, pulling back on both of the handles to lift Lagann up into the air. She threw the charge at the larger Gunman, which landed right in between its eyes. Its sword swung out at her, hitting the top of Lagann, sending her plummeting downwards. Lagann hit the ground hard, sending it a foot in the dirt.<p>

"Kamina! Get down!" she yelled, quickly checking to make sure Kamina moved Simon somewhere safe. She was relieved to see that Simon was conscious now, but nervous as soon as she saw the look of worry on his face. She reached into her shorts pocket and pulled out the detonator for the charge. She lifted the part covering the button and pressed her thumb on the button, causing the button to flash red slowly. The pace of the flashing increased rapidly as _beeps_ went out through the village.

"What the hell is that?" questioned the Gunman, spinning to look at the charges behind him.

All of the charges then detonated, causing a massive explosion that nearly caused an area by some villagers to collapse. They quickly scattered as the explosion shifted some rubble nearby them, and the rubble fell onto the ground, shattering into smaller pebbles. Yoko used the last ounces of her energy to see what happened to the larger Gunman. Its face was completely destroyed, with only the back of it remaining. The parts that had it function were scattered on the ground around it as the shell of the Gunman fell back into the crater it previously created. She spotted Simon running around the crater to reach her. She pressed the canopy button to retract the canopy as she slowly crawled out of Lagann. He reached where she was and did something completely unexpected and sudden: He hugged her.

"Don't ever do something that stupid again, please." he asked her, slightly tearing up. She nodded and buried her face in his shoulder, relieved that it was all over. All of the shock from when he hugged her faded, and she welcomed his embrace now. Their embrace lasted for a while, and Yoko started to cry into Simon's shoulder. She had narrowly escaped death for the first time in her life, and, as exciting as it was, she was too fearful of what might have happened to her to be excited that she completed her first GDO. Simon patted her back and moved his hand up and down her back reassuringly, staying in an embrace with her until she stopped crying. When she pulled away, he wiped the tears off of her face and smiled at her. She smiled back at him, relieved to have someone there for her when she was recovering from the shock of near-death. Kamina walked up to them and patted Simon on the back. They just simply glanced at each other and they smirked. Kamina then put his hand on Yoko's shoulder.

"You did good... for a surface gal."

Yoko smiled and playfully slapped his shoulder.  
>"And you did good... for a moron."<br>"Hey, hey, hey! Are you calling me, the mighty Kamina, a moron?"  
>"Yes, yes I am." she said, laughing. Her, Simon, and Kamina broke into a bout of laughter, relaxing after so much tension.<br>"So, where to now, Miss Surface Girl?"  
>"Back to my home; Littner Village."<br>"Littner, eh? Giha's a _way_ better name than that."  
>"Ugh! You're so... so..."<br>"Totally radical?"  
>"Whatever. Let's just get moving. Simon, do you want to pilot Lagann, or should I?"<br>"You're too tired," he responded, "let me pilot it while you rest."  
>Yoko nodded. The trio walked towards Lagann before the villagers started walking out of their holes. They all cheered, grateful for the trio's help in defeating the Gunman. Yoko blushed, Simon smiled, and Kamina was taking in their praise, waving and just being stupid.<br>"Where do you three think you're going? You have to help us fix this!" yelled the chief. Wesker was nearby the chief, and he slugged him in the face, knocking the chief out.  
>"Go on you guys, we'll clean up. You all will be welcome in Giha Village anytime you want, you hear?" said Takkan, waving to the trio as they all entered Lagann. Simon pulled up on both of the handles and Lagann flew into the air, leaving the stone walls of Giha behind. Yoko yawned and put her head on Simon's shoulder. She sat there for a few seconds before she felt something fuzzy brush against her. She looked at what it was, but was clueless as to what it was.<br>"What is this thing?" she asked, pointing to the brown fuzzball.  
>"What thing?" asked Simon. "Oh, him. That's Boota, a pig-mole."<br>"Nice to meet you then, Boota."  
>"Buu!" said Boota, adjusting his sunglasses. He curled up on Yoko's leg, and she smiled as she put her head on Simon's shoulder again.<br>"My name's Yoko, by the way."  
>"Well then, Yoko, nice to meet you." said Kamina. "As you know, I'm Kamina, and this is Simon." He gave a noogie to Simon and Simon smiled.<br>"Which direction is Littner from here?" asked Simon. Yoko pointed in the direction she travelled from, half-asleep. Simon nodded and Yoko closed her eyes as she fell asleep.

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><p><strong>So there's Chapter 4, after so much procrastination, I finally finished it! For the rest of the story, it'll alternate between Simon or Yoko's POV, though Yoko's POV will always be in the third person. As always, C+C, it helps improve my writing!<strong>


	5. Chapter Five: Littner And The Gray Room

**SIMON'S POV**

I sat in the room assigned to me in Littner Village; the room was a small, gray, concrete square with a single bed, worn down over the years, and a desk with a small lamp and a stool. On the desk was a leather-bound book and a pencil, and he walked over to it. I didn't have much knowledge of reading or writing, but I still intended on keeping a journal of what happened in my life. Opening it up, I wrote on the top middle of the first page:  
>Simon's Journal<br>It wasn't too significant, in my opinion, but it was a start. Before I could begin writing, though, someone knocked on the door.

"Simon, can I come in?" It was Yoko on the other side of the door.

"Yeah, sure, come on in."

"Can you open the door for me?" she asked, sounding impatient.

"Oh, sure, I'll be there in a second." I closed the journal, walking towards the door, and pressed the blue button to open the door. Yoko stood there, holding food on a tray. She had changed out of the outfit I saw her in and was now wearing a gray tanktop and jeans.

"I brought you some food, I figured you might be hungry after all of that action in Giha." As if to answer her suspicions, my stomach growled, and we both laughed. She walked over to the desk, sliding my journal over to place the tray onto the desk.

"So, uh, Simon, what was that hug for?" she asked, sitting on the bed. She patted the space to her right, motioning me to sit next to her, which I did. I stared at the wall the desk was against, trying to avoid blushing by making eye contact.

"I dunno, it just felt... right I guess. Was it too sudden?"

"Just a bit," said Yoko, lying back on the bed. "I mean, we only just met, and that wasn't something I was expecting."  
>I rubbed the back of my head.<p>

"Sorry about that, then." I looked at her, and she just flashed me a quick smile.

"It's fine, really. Thanks." I nodded, and we both sat there for a bit, staring at each other. Yoko finally broke the silence, blushing a bit.

"Your food's probably going to get cold, you should eat." I nodded as she walked out of the door, and I began walking over to the desk.

"I'll come check back with you in the morning. Good night, Simon."

"Night, Yoko." I muttered as the door shut.

I sat at the desk for some time, staring at the food, thinking about whether or not that was the right thing to do. Eventually I grew tired of thinking about it, and grabbed a round silver thing with a handle. Picking it up, I dipped it into the soup, and put it in my mouth. The soup was delicious, much better than the mush I had eaten in Giha. I quickly gobbled it down, sip by sip, until the bowl was completely empty. I then grabbed the mug and stared at the brown drink that it contained. Taking a quick sip, I shuddered as the bitter taste sat on my taste buds. I gradually finished the drink, wiping whatever was left around my mouth off with a white cloth, and then plopped myself down onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. Images of the previous events flashed in my mind, and I shook my head, shaking off the memories. If it wasn't for Yoko, Kamina and I would be dead right now... I couldn't bear to keep thinking like that, so I put my head on the pillow, closed my eyes, and fell asleep.

Needless to say, my dreams weren't peaceful. I dreamt of stars, of giant warships fighting, explosions everywhere. I saw a red warship, commanded by a man who was pacing back and forth.

"They think they can hold us off forever? Who the hell do they think we are?" he yelled.

I woke up as a shadowy figure appeared behind the commander, making him spin towards the new man and yell something inaudible. My eyes flew open, and I saw Yoko standing over me.

"Good morning, Simon!" she said, very cheerful compared to last night.

"Uh, good morning Yoko. Why are you so happy for?"

"I had Leeron fix up Lagann for you, and I was actually hoping you'd give me some lessons on piloting it, if you wouldn't mind." Who was I to say no to an easy request like that?

"Yeah, sure!"

"Alright, thanks Simon. Oh, I brought you breakfast, also."

"You didn't need to do that, Yoko."

"And you didn't need to save my life either, Simon. This is just my way of thanking you." She smiled at me and walked out of the room. "I'm looking forward to those lessons!" she shouted, facing away from the room as the door shut.

I sat there, shocked that she went to such lengths to thank me before I came to my senses. I blinked a couple of times, then sat down to the breakfast Yoko brought for me. It was some white things with yellow circles and some wavy brown strips, along with toast. There was a three-pronged silver thing with a handle, much like the other thing last night. I started with the white-yellow things, taking small bites. The taste was a bit sour, and I wasn't a fan of sour things, but I didn't want to seem rude, so I ate both of them. I then moved on to the brown strips, picking it up with my hand and taking a bite out of it.

"THIS IS DELICIOUS!" I exclaimed, scarfing down all of the brown strips. I took a sip of a drink from the mug, which looked like the brown stuff from last night, but was much sweeter. I ate the toast and then finished the drink, placing the mug on the table. Making sure my journal was still there, I left the room where Yoko was waiting for me on a bench.

"So I see you liked my breakfast, Simon." She laughed, standing up.

"What were those wavy brown things?" I asked, curious about what that oh-so delicious food was.

"Oh, that? That's bacon." said Yoko, walking down a hallway to our left.

"So I'm just wondering, why do you want to be able to pilot Lagann, Yoko?" It had been bothering me since she had asked, and I was curious as to why she insisted on learning.

"I don't want what happened last time to happen again. If you get knocked unconscious, I should be able to protect you and Kamina using Lagann. It was only by chance that I was able to pilot it, and I'd prefer knowing how to pilot it over piloting it because of sheer luck." I nodded, understanding her feelings. I had only had a short time piloting Lagann, and barely knew anything about it, but was still knowledgeable enough to teach Yoko the basics of it. We talked for a bit more, talking about general topics like what our lives were like in the village or what we would do if the world was a better place.

"I'd build a city, if I could." I said, flashing a quick look at her. She stared ahead, intent on getting to our destination.

"A city? Why a city?"

"I feel like we need to be able to finally leave the pits behind and live on the surface. From what I saw, it was beautiful, but if that Gunman was from the surface, that would be the only thing preventing me from doing it. What about you?"

"If the world was a better place, what would I do? Hmm.. I'm not sure, really. I enjoy cooking, but besides that, I don't really have any other interests besides using my rifle."

We reached the end of the hallway, where walls opened up to a very large room. Yoko explained that this was called the Hangar, and that this is where Lagann was being stored. The room was the same concrete my room was made out of, but there were beams going across the roof, and holes were cut in the walls to allow light to flow in. Lagann was in the center of the room, and I walked over to it, still talking to Yoko before she changed the conversation when I asked about her family.

"So, should I pilot it first and you show me what does what, or do you want to pilot it first and show me the motions?"

"Whatever helps you learn best, I guess." I hadn't taught anyone before, save for the young children in Giha, so I was fairly new to the concept.

"I'll pilot it first, then. I already know what the Canopy button does, that's sort of self-explanatory. I want to know basic movement and at least one or two buttons." she said, getting into Lagann. She turned the drill and it roared to life, its eyes going from a dull, dark yellow to a bright neon yellow. I hopped on the side of Lagann, looking into the cockpit.

"Okay, the two handles are for movement. You pull the left one back and the left foot moves, and if you pull the right one the right foot moves." I instructed, pointing at each handle. Yoko nodded, studying the console. "If you press both triggers, or just pull back on the handles, either one I guess, you'll activate the thrusters. Release or let go of the handles to stop the thrusters. You should probably release gently unless you're making a quick escape. Go ahead and try that out." I hopped off of Lagann, giving her some space to move. She seemed like a fast learner, because she was able to move Lagann better than I could in a shorter time.

"Simon, how do you turn?" she asked me, turning around to face me.

"Oh, right, pull left or right on the handles!" I responded, intrigued on how rapidly she was learning. She tried turning Lagann, starting off by turning to the left, then to the right. She then managed to get Lagann to break into a sprint, causing it to dash all around the room as she laughed, amused by how fun it was.

"This is amazing!" she shouted, enjoying the feeling of the wind blowing her hair back. She then activated the thrusters, breaking out of the dash and began flying in the air. Whilst in the air, she pressed a button that made Lagann drop and fall to the ground, but its fall was broken by giant springs.

"Woah! Yoko, did you see what you just did?"

"What? No, I didn't see, all I knew is that I hit a button and now I'm on the ground!"

"You just figured out how to break Lagann's fall!"

"Wait, what? Really?" She seemed amazed that she had discovered something Simon didn't know, but according to what he told her, he wasn't piloting Lagann for long until she met him, so it slightly made sense to her.

"See if there's anything else you can figure out!" I called to her, interested in what new and undiscovered abilities Lagann had.

"It looks like that's it, Simon. There's no more buttons here."

I sighed, hoping Lagann had some secret ability that was undiscovered.

"Well, thanks for the help Simon, I really appreciate it." Yoko began hopping out of Lagann, and I offered her my hand to help her down, which she accepted. Our eyes met for almost a split second, and I could've sworn I saw a twinkle in her eye, though I wasn't sure what that signified. We both began walking down the hallway, and halfway through, her hand was locked in mine. I looked at her and she smiled at me, being quite nonchalant about the fact she was holding my hand. I smiled back and decided that it wasn't that big of a deal either. All I knew is that this moment with her was absolutely perfect.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I apologize for the long wait, guys! (Like seriously, it's been around 5 months since this last updated?) Lazy author is lazy, I know. I've had a lot of projects come up and school's gotten in the way of my writing time, but I promise I'll work on this more in the summer! As always, R+R, it helps me improve my writing!**


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